Trisha Blizzard, Dip CBEd, CLD (CBI)

First and foremost, I am a wife to my husband, Ron. We have been married 24 years, and we have 6 children, two dogs and one green anole.

For as long as I can remember, I have been in awe over the miracle of birth. I was always interested in anything medical, but I knew early on that if I was going to "be" something when I grew up, it was going to involve babies or birth. At first I wanted to become a doctor, than I decided to become a nurse. My goal was to work in labor and delivery or perhaps in a neonatal intensive care unit.

In 1991, a year after my high school graduation, I became a Certified Nurses Assistant. I spent the next 5 years working with the elderly in nursing homes, retirement centers, and with in home health and hospice. In 1994, I enrolled in the nursing program at my local college to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN- or in some parts of the country, LVN). 9 months before my graduation, I became pregnant and needed to quit school. (I was at high risk for preterm labor, and with those symptoms already starting to show again, we knew that I would not carry to term with the long hours of school and clinical work ahead). I became a happy stay at home, and that is still my JOB.

In 1998, while walking in the mall, I discovered the word “doula”. Two women were handing out flyers for a doula training. I knew in an instant, that a doula, I would be. I had actually been a doula more than once, before I knew what they were! It wouldn’t be until about 4 years later that I would actually start learning, and attending births as an uncertified doula. (I became certified in 2008).

For the past 13 years, I have studied pregnancy and childbirth - learning far more than any trained doula is expected to learn. I had actually dabbled with the idea of being a midwife, so I’ve read several books geared towards midwifery. However, there is just too much responsibility that comes with the title of a midwife. Being a Doula and a Childbirth Educator is the perfect fit for me and my family :-).

In 2007, I became an ALACE trained Labor Assistant/Birth Doula - now known as toLabor, The Organization of Labor Assistants for Birth Options and Resources. I am a Certified Doula with Childbirth International. I hold a diploma as a certified childbirth educator through Childbirth International. I LOVE teaching childbirth classes, and have taught over 260 couples! I am a Certified Happiest Baby educator, and would love to help you learn how to calm your fussy baby in minutes or less! I am nearing the end of my Breastfeeding Counselor certification with Childbirth International. I’m currently trained to teach breastfeeding classes and can help with basic breastfeeding obstacles. In March, 2014, I began working as a birth assistant at Inanna Birth and Women's Care (a birth center), in Denton. I am enjoying the variety of work that I'm doing, and it's all very fulfilling :-)

I have had the privilege of attending over 175 births in all settings (birth centers, home and hospital), both vaginal and cesarean. I have served mothers delivering twins, and have a passion for helping mothers achieve a VBAC (Vaginal birth after cesarean). I have attended many VBAC's including a few VBAC's after multiple cesareans. I have learned so much over the past few years, and I am confident in my abilities to educate women, as well as provide them with compassionate care.